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Boxing

Curiosity and The Cat: Just how can Tyson Fury hurt Oleksandr Usyk?

Curiosity and The Cat: Just how can Tyson Fury hurt Oleksandr Usyk?DAZN

When fight fans and pundits cast their minds back to May, there tends to be an agreement - among all the disputes - that the ninth round is what won it for Oleksandr Usyk.

The Ukrainian has gone toe-to-toe with Tyson Fury across the first half of their fight at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena, emerging from a brutal uppercut in the sixth to stay on his toes.

But the ninth - where Usyk unleashed a flurry of more than a dozen unanswered punches to leave his opponent staggering - is likely the moment the tide turned in his favour.

It did not go either way throughout though - and in the intervening months leading up to their rematch, Fury has boasted that even that onslaught could not bring him to his knees.

The Gypsy King has a point - but it is not his own resilience that is the biggest issue he faces the second time around if he is to avenge the only loss of his professional career.

No, the question is - just what can hurt Oleksandr Usyk? Across almost two-dozen professional fights, The Cat has seldom looked at the end of his tether, with a chin like granite.

As fight week arrives at Riyadh Season's Reignited, live on DAZN Pay-Per-View, DAZN News takes a look at just where the keys may be for Fury if he is to finally bring Usyk down.

Usyk v Fury competition

One hit to the body...

The obvious weakness is Usyk's frame. Despite his success as the first undisputed heavyweight for a generation, it is crucial to remember that it is not his natural weight division.

He started his amateur career as a middleweight, before proceeding to light-heavyweight and then heavyweight, where he secured gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

But it was as a cruiserweight that the 6' 3" star from Simferopol made his professional name - and even with the added mass in changing class, that height remains the same.

Usyk has packed on the pounds to beef up for those mega-belt bouts with Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Fury - yet there is no escaping that he is the little guy in mass.

Dubois famously exposed this with a cracking shot to the belt line in their contest, one ruled as a controversial low blow, leaving Usyk floored and visibly struggling to stand.

He ultimately rose back to his feet, and went on to deliver a ninth-round knockout to set up his first Fury fight - but The Gypsy King will know caging his smaller frame can help him.

The Briton did so when he landed two stiff blows in a similar area during the second round of their contest in May, and he will know that Usyk remains at risk of suffering there.

Olexandr Usyk vs. Daniel DuboisGettyImages

One hit to the head...

There is not just the difference in height between the two men too, but a difference in reach as well. Usyk's arm measures at 78" - seven inches shorter than Fury's gangly range.

That appeared to be the major difference across the first half of their fight last time out. The Cat might have had the poise, but he seemed to lack cutting edge to close the gap.

Fury ultimately stepped in there and made it tell with an uppercut in the sixth - and not just any, but a monster one at that, a blow that many thought had cracked his foe's jaw.

It is not the first time the head has left Usyk reeling. He was cut by Joshua in their first bout, in what could have been a decisive blow had the latter not suffered greater damage too.

That came late enough in the contest that the Ukrainian remained in comfortable control, but he had to be shrewd to avoid the Briton's reach in their rematch once again.

With no disrespect to Joshua, Fury may not have the uber-honed physique his countryman does, but he has a craftiness and underappreciated ring IQ when focused on the job.

He is sure to have taken his loss against Usyk to heart and is likely to ensure he does not take the foot off the pedal - and that means targeting the head of The Cat to boot too.

One hit to the mind...

This is the toughest task at hand for any man who faces Usyk. Across his ascent from Olympic champion to undisputed heavyweight kingpin, he has been unflappably cool.

Over the past few years, the world has changed for the Ukrainian, his country engaged in a protracted war and his commitments to the sport tested by his patriotic bonds.

He joined their territorial defence forces in early 2022, though was forced to leave for his rematch with Joshua only a few months later, and remains a popular figure at home.

Fury made reference in his post-fight comments in Riyadh earlier this year, suggesting that the ongoing conflict may have swayed the decisions of the judges in favour of Usyk.

But it is a psychological battle that the Briton, one of the sport's great agitators, appears destined lose in terms of pre-bout mental warfare, and an avenue he may have exhausted.

Indeed, in his words at the press conference in October before this bout, Fury was highly complimentary of his foe, even as he vowed to knock him down and out this time around.

Ultimately, his actions will speak louder than his words - but unlike with his golden fists, it seems The Gypsy King won't be hurting The Cat with his silver tongue any time soon.

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Watch Usyk vs. Fury 2 on DAZN PPV

The Oleksandr Usyk/Tyson Fury rematch and full undercard is a DAZN Pay-Per-View (PPV) worldwide event and will cost £24.99 in the UK / $39.95 in the US. For prices in your region click here.

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